Study says asymptomatic C. diff. carriers key source of HAIs

About 19 percent of healthcare-related Clostridium difficile cases at a Veterans Affairs hospital and long-term care facility were linked to asymptomatic C. diff carriers, according to an article on the Healiowebsite.

Studies demonstrated that asymptomatic carriage of toxigenic C. difficile is common in the LTCF affiliated with the Cleveland VA hospital, the researchers wrote in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.

“These findings have broad implications for control of C. difficile because interfacility transfer of CDI patients occurs frequently among LTCFs and hospitals,” the study said.

“Greater emphasis on infection control measures and antimicrobial stewardship in LTCFs is needed, and these efforts should focus on LTCF residents during hospital admissions.”

In building these facilities, healthcare facility managers and their construction partners must strike a balance of incorporating necessary elements of a medical facility, while maintaining a comfortable, homelike atmosphere